PLYMOUTH, Mass. — The defense is expected to continue calling witnesses Wednesday in the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy as attorneys work to convince jurors that the former Massachusetts labor and delivery nurse was experiencing postpartum psychosis when her three children were killed.
On Tuesday, jurors heard testimony from two expert witnesses called by the defense. One focused on Clancy’s mental state in the days and weeks surrounding the deaths, while another provided graphic details about how the children died.
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Defense psychologist recounts conversation with Patrick Clancy
Defense psychologist Dr. Paul Zeizel testified about a conversation Lindsay Clancy had with her husband, Patrick Clancy, while she was hospitalized at Brigham and Women’s Hospital more than a week after the killings.
According to Zeizel, he allowed Clancy to use his cellphone to call her husband. During that conversation, Zeizel said, Clancy described hearing a voice commanding her to kill her children.
“She expressed love for him. She said she heard a male voice ordering her, telling her that she didn’t have any choice, but she had to kill her children. And then kill herself,” Zeizel testified.
The defense has arguedthroughout the trial that Clancy was suffering from severe postpartum psychosis, a rare psychiatric condition that can cause hallucinations, delusions, and a break from reality.
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Jurors hear difficult testimony about children’s deaths
Jurors also heard emotional and graphic testimony from a defense forensic pathologist who discussed the amount of time the children were strangled before their deaths.
The testimony added another difficult day to a trial that has drawn significant public attention as both sides present competing explanations for what happened inside the Clancy family’s Duxbury home.
What comes next?
The defense is expected to continue presenting witnesses and could wrap up its case later this week.
Once the defense rests, prosecutors will have the opportunity to call rebuttal witnesses before closing arguments and jury deliberations begin.
Clancy is charged in connection with the January 2023 deaths of her three children: 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson, and 8-month-old Callan.
Prosecutors allege she intentionally killed the children, while defense attorneys contend she was suffering from postpartum psychosis and lacked criminal responsibility for her actions.